MUSTAINE: ‘What’s Happening Now Is That Everything America Has Been Built On Will Be Destroyed’

Ed Condran of Atlantic City Weekly recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Atlantic City Weekly: I interviewed [comedian] George Carlin just before he passed away five years ago. He said that as a civilization we’re circling the drain.

Mustaine: You want to hear something very bizarre? I was reading Carlin and listening to his stand-up when I wrote some of the songs on [1992’s] “Countdown To Extinction”. I remember writing “Sweating Bullets” after reading Carlin. I just thought: “Did I mention George Carlin and ‘Sweating Bullets’ or did he say that and I forgot?” [laughs] That’s mind-blowing that you said that. Back then we were listening to a lot of Carlin‘s tapes. We were listening to a lot of stand-up. We listened to Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor and it had a huge effect.

Atlantic City Weekly: You said from the stage that if Barack Obama were re-elected, you would leave for Canada. Have you started packing yet?

Mustaine: A lot of that was stage fodder. You’re talking about the Singapore incident. I was just there marveling how beautiful Singapore is and I started thinking about how our nation is changing and I don’t know if we can handle all of the taxation. I know years ago that in England the taxes got so out of control that people left and I can see it happening here. There could be a mass exodus here. There are quite a few musicians who are blessed enough to be making $250,000 or more a year and they will be taxed. I think what will happen is that bands will be dying left and right. What’s happening now is that everything America has been built on will be destroyed.

Atlantic City Weekly: What do you think will happen in the future??

Mustaine: The way things are going after this election is that I think a lot of people are going to be hoping the Mayan Calendar — [saying the world ends December 21, 2012] — is correct. I think life will continue on. We’re a strong nation, no matter who is in the White House. God is in my White House. I’m a Christian and I make a lot of mistakes, but I try to keep my head up and do the right thing. It’s crazy out there. I’m a dad. Oddly enough, my son just got a notice from the Selective Service and he has to register. No one else from his school mentioned they got a notice. My daughter said that she thinks they’re targeting [my son] Justice because of me. I said, “No, they are not!” But I was thinking, “What’s going on?” But having two kids, I try to do my best.